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Slimming World’s Man of the Year is 246 pounds lighter

Back when he weighed 434 pounds – with a waist that measured more than 6 feet around – Thomas McIntyre was used to embarrassing situations caused by his size. So the day he became wedged in a turnstile at a soccer game, he simply laughed it off.

But on the inside, he says, he wasn’t laughing. His weight was a constant worry, and the 43-year-old Irish man was convinced he would die young.

“I was the typical jolly fat bloke, always making fun of myself before anyone else had the chance to do it,” he says. “Deep down, though, I’d reached the point where I thought about my mortality all the time. And the more I worried, the more I ate, to comfort myself, I suppose. It was a vicious cycle.”

Thomas has since broken the cycle. In February of last year, at the urging of a friend, he joined Slimming World, a weight-loss program that was established in the U.K. more than 40 years ago and is now available online across America, with U.S. headquarters in Lewisville. On the plan he has lost 246 pounds and was just named Slimming World’s Man of the Year 2013.

Thomas was overweight for more than two decades, since giving up soccer in his early 20s without quitting the junk food his then-active lifestyle allowed him to eat. Five years ago, as his weight steadily increased and he planned for his wedding to wife Claire, he secretly bought a bigger suit for the ceremony as a back-up plan. It was a size 8XL.

“My weight felt like a huge burden when I married my beautiful wife,” he says. “She’s always loved me for me, but getting a suit was difficult and I felt awful in it.”

On top of his embarrassment, Thomas’s weight also resulted in the need for medication for a wide range of health concerns, including high blood pressure, breathing problems and fluid retention. Although he’d tried to lose weight previously, he’d end up regaining it and then some because he felt hungry all the time.

In February of 2012, his friend Mauveen told him how worried she was about his health and asked him to join Slimming World with her. He begrudgingly agreed: “I was extremely apprehensive. I was worried it would just be another failed diet attempt, but that changed when I met my consultant, who had lost 126 pounds himself. And he was so passionate about helping other people lose weight.”

After his first week on the program – which focuses on healthy, low-fat recipes without completely banning anything, including the occasional glass of wine or chocolate – Thomas had lost 10 pounds.

“After that,” he says, “I was completely won over.”

Thomas began satisfying his appetite on everyday foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, eggs, fat-free dairy and even carbs, including pasta and potatoes. He says he never felt hungry, and his wife learned how to cook one of his favorites – chicken curry – the Slimming World way. She has lost 14 pounds just by enjoying the same foods as her husband.

As the weight started to come off, Thomas felt confident enough to begin exercising. He now runs three times a week and takes his dog out on long walks.

Thomas’s weight has dropped from 434 pounds to 188 pounds, and he now wears medium-sized shirts instead of 8XL. But the biggest change is in how he feels about himself. He says his confidence is soaring and he looks forward to a bright future ahead, with children in the picture.

“Before I joined Slimming World,” he says, “I had no energy. My days off would consist of my just lying on the couch. Now, everything’s easier and I’m so much happier. If we’re lucky enough to have children, I’ll be the active dad I always wanted to be, and that’s really important to me.

“I feel like life passed me by for years, so I’m determined to live it to the fullest now,” he adds. “When I first joined Slimming World, my friend Mauveen gave me a plaque that said, ‘Always look on the bright side.’ It’s definitely easier to do that now – I’m not pretending to be the jolly fat bloke anymore. I’m genuinely happy.”

Thomas McIntyre’s typical menu before:

Breakfast: four large sausage rolls, bag of chips, chocolate bar and soda

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